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A review by solcatcat
The Hunger by Alma Katsu
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
CW: ALL of them, jeez
What an odd book... VERY dark. I didn't NOT like it, but it was very interesting. A supernatural twist on the Donner Party incident. Slow burn character dynamics, development, and intrigue with bursts of chaos. The timeline is so wild and jumps around. Multiple POVs, and even the way we get POVs changes. It will go from present day POV, to POV of someone writing a letter of what happened, then POV of someone's flashback. Very wild and disorienting, but to me it feels intentional and adds to the chaos and feeling of unease.
There are so many loose ends that I can't tell if I am upset that I didn't get closure or if I should give props to the author for leaving the reader with a sense of unfinished unease that will never rest.
I don't even know who I would recommend this book to. It is a slow burn with lots of suffering, so it is difficult to recommend that kind of story.
What an odd book... VERY dark. I didn't NOT like it, but it was very interesting. A supernatural twist on the Donner Party incident. Slow burn character dynamics, development, and intrigue with bursts of chaos. The timeline is so wild and jumps around. Multiple POVs, and even the way we get POVs changes. It will go from present day POV, to POV of someone writing a letter of what happened, then POV of someone's flashback. Very wild and disorienting, but to me it feels intentional and adds to the chaos and feeling of unease.
There are so many loose ends that I can't tell if I am upset that I didn't get closure or if I should give props to the author for leaving the reader with a sense of unfinished unease that will never rest.
I don't even know who I would recommend this book to. It is a slow burn with lots of suffering, so it is difficult to recommend that kind of story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Colonisation
Moderate: Homophobia, Incest